I collect baseball cards. I know I'm a dork but I have lived with that fact for quite some time.
But I am a dork with goals. I am trying to acquire an autograph of every person to play an inning for my favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles. I will be sharing the trials and tribulations of card collecting, stories from players and my thoughts on the hobby. I will try to be as entertaining as possible and hopefully you can watch me attain my goal.

The Quest

The Baltimore Orioles have been in town since '54 and have had over 900 men don their uniform. My goal is to obtain a signed card of each player. If you have something I need, or see something you want, don't be shy, we can make a deal.

Collection Statistics

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Black & Blue

So, I received a trade today of six in person autographs from a fellow Oriole collector and for the first time realized he was a black guy. That is, one who uses black sharpies for autographs, of course. My brother on the other hand is a blue guy. I've never really delved into what color sharpie I like, I just want a clear signature.

I really think red sharpie should be the best. Not too many cards, jerseys and pictures are dominated by red so the sharpie would really pop on many cards. Black and blue seem to be on every jersey and background making many autographs difficult to see/read. Red would be a great autograph color, if it didn't actually look so bad. Cases in point:

Here is what I received today from Aaron, my collecting doppelganger.

Roberto Alomar 2000 Skybox Dominion #160Alomar should have made the Hall of Fame last year, but hopefully will not have to wait too long. There are a lot of his autographs floating around out there, but I haven't been able to grab any as an Oriole, so Indian will have to suffice for now. I had heard that he started signing TTM again last year as the HOF balloting was being done and hope that trend continues this year as I have a request out to him.

Robert Andino 2006 Topps #313How old was Andino when this picture was taken, 16? Apparently 21. I never would have served him. He is currently all grown, playing with AAA Norfolk, trying to make it back with the big club. If not for Ty Wigginton's power explosion he may have gotten a shot to come back with Brian Roberts out. The O's need someone to set the table and be explosive on the base paths. Not sure if Andino is that guy, but nothing else has worked in the lead-off spot. I have a 50/50 in the works for a few of the players in Norfolk, so this may be an Oriole upgrade shortly.

Alberto Castillo (P) Blank Orioles CrownAt least I think this is Alberto Castillo the pitcher, not the catcher. Any clarification Aaron? I like what he does with the blank Crown cards. I am planning on stealing his idea for a few guys without any major cards. Hope he doesn't mind.

Cla Meredith Blank Orioles CrownI really didn't pay much attention to the team at the end of last season. At FanFest this year I thought Cla Meredith was a minor leaguer fighting for a roster spot, not a big cog in the bullpen. I definitely know better now. He is a huge bright spot in a pen that has stabilized recently, recording his first major league save to go along with a 2.00 ERA.

Nolan Reimold 2005 Bowman Heritage #256Reimold is still struggling at the plate this season. My acquisition of his Topps Chrome autograph last month did little to affect his play on the field. I was sure it was exactly the boost he needed. Luke Scott and Lou Montanez haven't caught fire either allowing for some platoon action.

Miguel Tejada 2007 Upper Deck First Edition #51Almost two years into this thing and I finally got a Miguel Tejada autograph. It's about time. I am still holding out hope for a TTM request to come back, but I'm a realist. I am excited to have Miggy back in the lineup, but a little hesitant with him in the clean-up spot. He, along with Wigginton and Nick Markakis, has been the main sources of offense on this struggling club. He already has four home runs, a third of what I would have thought for the year, and has taken quickly to third base. Welcome back Miggy. Now if only they can win a few.

4 comments:

Yes, that's Alberto Castillo the pitcher. That auto was obtained at the 2nd to last game of the season last year. BTW, the blank Crowns make a nice card to have signed in a pinch but some players (particularly younger players) refuse to sign "blank" cards. The new "blank" card that I like to get signed now is the 2009 O Pee Chee card that pictures the stadium and also the 2010 Upper Deck card that pictures an overhead shot of the stadium and Eutaw St. They look nice signed if you don't have a regular card of the player. BTW, I got 8 autos at the game tonight thanks to my new autograph method, shoot me a message on The Bench if you need Matusz, Millwood, Bergesen, or Ohman (on cubs card).

Oh and BTW, I'm a black guy on regular cards but a blue guy on the Crown cards. Love the blue autos on the Crown cards (with the players pictured for the set).

I'm a black guy through and through. However, I'm always prepared with both silver (which doesn't work as often as it does so I like to avoid it) and blue, for some cards that really look good in blue.

I was able to snag Jones, Scott and Atkins, last night, as well as Matusz on the giveaway shirt. Aaron, I'm guessing that you were on the other side of the dugout. I was hoping to get Ohman but just missed him. I recently picked up his O's postcard and really wanted to get it signed but missed him.